The present invention generally relates to systems for disinfecting water, particularly to such systems for use with well water systems, and specifically to such systems for use in private well water systems for individual homes, farms, cottages, or the like.
The use of chlorine to disinfect water is well known. However, chlorination typically is utilized in larger water systems such as for delivering water to municipalities or the like. However, many locations do not have ready access to such municipal water systems and instead have their own private well water systems. Unfortunately, many such private wells are contaminated and water drawn from such wells should be disinfected prior to use.
Most chlorination systems presently in use such as in municipalities or the like are complex in nature and require a significant degree of surveillance and maintenance. Thus, such systems are too expensive and impractical for private, individual-type well water systems. Prior attempts to provide disinfectant to private, individual-type well water systems includes chemical feed pump systems which deliver disinfectant into the high pressure tank of the water system. However, as the disinfectant is supplied to the high pressure side of the system, such pumps are costly to manufacture and maintain. Further, due to the chemical nature of the disinfectant, such pumps were prone to problems resulting from clogged lines and from corrosion. Also, disinfectant was only supplied to the water supplied from the high pressure tank to which the feed pump was connected and not to water which was supplied from other locations in the water system. Another approach to providing disinfectant to private, individual-type well water systems was to dispense disinfectant tablets down the well utilizing a gumball-type dropping machine. However, such systems were undesirable as often the tablets landed on obstructions in the well casing such as the pitless adapter in submersible pump systems and did not reach the water in the well. Further, as the tablet dropping machine was mounted on the well itself, such machines were prone to frost build-up which clogged the tablet drop tube and/or which bound up the dispensing mechanism. Further, adjustment of the rate at which tablets were dispensed was extremely difficult and typically could not be performed by the well owners themselves, but required adjustment by skilled personnel.
Thus, a need exists for a system for disinfecting water for use in private well water systems which is not prone to corrosion and/or clogged lines, which supplies the disinfectant directly to the well, and which is easy to adjust the rate at which disinfectant is supplied.